Enterprise Adventures
by T'Liana
Summary: Space… the final frontier. These are the continuing voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Her ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life forms, and new civilisations. To boldly go, where no one has gone before. Family, friendship, love and adventure, these are the Enterprise Adventures. Spock/OC, Kirk/OC, McCoy/OC, Uhura/OC, Scotty/OC, Chulu.
1. Cestus III

Welcome to the final installment of my Spock/Zia stories that began with _Starfleet Academy_, continued with _Vulcan Hunters _and _Children of Two Worlds_, and will end with this. You might not have read the aforementioned stories, and in order to understand parts of this story, I'd recommend reading those three as well as _Blind, Depressed, Dissolute and Hopeless_. Those stories are prequels in a way and set the scene. There's no shame in self-advertising when it'll benefit your understanding of some of my OC characters.

I would like to welcome back **MoreColourfulMoniker **as the beta for this story. Welcome!

Without further ado, I give you... the first chapter!

o.O.o

**Chapter 1 – Cestus III**

_One month_

"This is Captain Kirk calling Federation Outpost Cestus III. Have we been given the all-clear?"

_"__Yes Captain. You are cleared for entry."_

"Thank you Commander Kirby. You'll be seeing us in just under an hour." Captain Kirk spun around in his chair and clapped his hands together. "Well folks, this is our last pit stop before we go out into undiscovered space! Everyone ready for their toilet break?"

"Very funny Captain," Uhura snickered. He was exaggerating a bit, as this was the first time they'd stopped since embarking on their mission. They'd been at Warp for a whole month, brooding on how un-glamorous this actually was – for every day of excitement there was a month of boredom. All the drama came from Engineering when some careless redshirts performed an experiment gone wrong, resulting in McCoy screaming at the offending crewmembers. Some humour could be attributed to the hypo-wielding doctor, as he was relentless in his mission to vaccinate every crewmember against every disease known to man. It was actually entertaining whenever some poor man or woman raced through the corridors, the shouting doctor in tow. McCoy kept everyone on their toes and several Ensigns were plotting to have him accidentally thrown out of Airlock C. They still had four years and eleven months to survive with him…

The _Enterprise _dropped out of Warp and was caught in the gravity of Cestus III, which anchored it in place. Despite Sulu's expertise with landing the craft, Kirk wanted to avoid landing as much as possible. Instead he directed people to board the shuttles and use them to fly down to the surface. All pilots manned one of the many shuttles and the Beta-shift crew was left in charge until the Alpha-shift returned. Carol Marcus, Acting Chief Science Officer and First Officer, took to the job with gusto.

Upon their arrival on Cestus III, everyone exited the shuttle and sighed at the feel of the sun on their skin, no matter how weak the rays were. They were greeted by pale yellow skies and a greeting party made up of Commander Kirby and his security officers. Two hundred crewmembers were escorted to the Federation Outpost for a couple hours of rest and relaxation before leaving Federation space for good.

"So Commander," Kirk said warmly, "how's the planet going? Are you still friendly with the natives?"

Kirby shrugged. "We're as friendly as ever. They only tolerate us for the protection we provide against the Gorn."

Kirk motioned to Spock and the Vulcan joined them, the trio heading towards the native city. The city was extensive, with thousands of stone columns reaching towards the sky, and a house built around each column.

"There's a column for each family," Kirby explained, "and the house is built around it, with the column as the very centre of the household. It's supposed to represent stability within the family home. Columns near the centre of the city are old and signify high class, while newer ones are on the outskirts and are exposed to the elements."

"It's an interesting system." Kirk watched as a native pushed past him, holding two children close to her, all of which had ears that stuck out for a mile. Maybe not a mile, but their ears pointed out horizontally for ten centimetres on average and their canines stuck out from between their lips. Humans were very obvious among these people, mainly because of the size of their ears.

A native fell into step with Kirby, walking close to the trio. "Kirby-Mana, you and your Starfleet men must leave. It is not safe."

Kirby wrapped a gentle hand around the native's wrist. "What's the problem?"

"Human and Romulan pirates," the native whispered urgently, beige eyes appraising Kirk and Spock from beneath green bangs. "They plan to attack the outpost once the ship is gone."

"Thank you Iya-Tawe. Come to the outpost in ten minutes and we'll talk more."

The native disappeared and Kirk frowned. "What's that about?"

"I don't know. Iya-Tawe is one of my informants from within the native population. I earned his respect by helping the people rebuild after the last storm."

"Okay. Spock, keep your eyes peeled for Romulans." Kirk glanced around furtively and moved closer to his First Officer.

"Captain, we must return to the outpost at once."

"Yes, I have to agree with the Commander." Kirby nodded. "Let's go. Iya-Tawe will meet us there."

They returned to the outpost presently and moved through the brown grass and restless crewmembers, heading into the rusted outpost's private office. Iya-Tawe stood in there, shrouded in his brown cloak, only his beige eyes visible from within the shadow.

"Jeez, do you have to be so creepy?" Kirk demanded. Iya-Tawe dropped the cloak from around his face and smirked, eyes crinkling around the edges.

"I apologise. My countenance does… frighten some."

Kirk shook his head. "I'm not scared. So what do you have for us?"

"I will only share that information with Kirby-Mana."

Kirby moved forward and closed the door behind him, shutting the four in a four-walled, windowless room with two chairs and a desk. "What have you heard?"

"Their leader is named Nada. He was questioning your other informants for a way into the outpost and threatened them so they kept silent. They plan to steal in once darkness falls and take your technology. I have reason to believe that they have an invisible craft landed somewhere near the city."

"Did he question you?" Kirby asked.

"No, I went straight to you." Iya-Tawe tilted his head and smiled, his canines poking out. "I trust I may now be gifted with a communication device, Kirby-Mana."

Spock watched the exchange with interest, noting how 'Tawe' seemed to be a term of familiarity while 'Mana' was a term of respect. He could feel the trust between the two men and knew that Iya-Tawe's information was true. Such a relationship was undoubtedly rare on this planet, yet Iya-Tawe and Kirby had gained the other's trust and worked together to keep the peace. It was even rarer for an informant to be a key player in keeping the peace, as it was normally the military strength.

"Once this threat is neutralised, the device is yours." Kirby pressed the back of his hand to his mouth and nodded. Iya-Tawe returned the gesture.

"They do not have a ground base. If you find their ship, you find them." Iya-Tawe retreated from the room, pulling his cloak back up. Kirby turned to Kirk and Spock.

"We don't have the equipment to locate an invisible ship," he sighed. "Does your Starship?"

Spock nodded. "It does. Do you require our assistance?"

"Yes, if you could locate the ship I could fire a torpedo and eliminate the threat."

Kirk grinned. "I like the way you think!" He whipped out his communicator. "Keenser, do you read?"

_"__Affirmative."_

"I need you to up the scanner sensitivity and scan the planet for any sign of another ship. This one should be invisible."

_"__Affirmative." _A few beeps sounded and a grunt of annoyance. _"Yes Captain. Sending coordinates now."_

"Thanks Keenser." His communicator vibrated and he opened the map of the planet, showing Kirby exactly where the ship was. "We've got top-of-the-line stuff! We could take them out if you like."

"That'd be-"

"Captain! CAPTAIN!"

A panicked Sulu rushed through the ajar door and nearly bowled Spock over. Kirk jumped. "Sulu! SULU! What's the problem?"

Sulu placed his hands on his knees and panted for a second. He looked up at the Captain and shouted, "Pasha's missing!"

o.O.o

"The information is unmistakable," Spock concluded. "The location of the pirate ship, as well as Lieutenant Chekov's transmitter signal, indicates that the pirates have taken him into custody."

Kirk moaned. "I take it that blowing it sky high is off the table?"

"Affirmative, if we wish to see Lieutenant Chekov alive again."

Sulu groaned. "I should have kept a closer watch on him! He was there one minute and the next, he was gone!"

"They're onto us," Kirby said hurriedly. "They know that we know. Your navigator is a bargaining chip."

"Starfleet doesn't negotiate with terrorists," Kirk declared hotly. "We'll find a way to get Chekov out of there and _then _we'll blow it sky high!"

o.O.o

Kirk fiddled with his cloak and checked his scanner again. "Honestly Spock, you could've gotten me a better material. This one's really scratchy!"

His First Officer shrugged non-committedly. "You must accept what you are given."

"In Spock-speak, 'shut up and stop complaining'," Kirk muttered. "I'm detecting two bogeys up ahead." He activated his communicator. "Keenser, we're in position. Fire the EMP now."

_"__Firing."_

A soft breeze ruffled their hair and Kirk's scanner blacked out. "Their suspicions will undoubtedly be raised," the Vulcan murmured. He raised his phaser and they crouched in the tall grass, hidden by the thickness of the blades. They were one of the many pairs that were scattered around the grass field and the mission was to sneak up to the ship and attack if things got ugly. Normally Spock would accept such a mission with ease, but Kirk's complaining was beginning to irk him. After all, the Vulcan wore a similar scratchy cloak to better blend in to the grass. Their normal Starfleet uniforms would be visible for miles in this foliage.

A plan had hurriedly been developed to retrieve Chekov and destroy the pirates at the same time. Seven pairs of officers were disguised and surrounded the ship as a back-up. Once Keenser fired the electromagnetic pulse, the ship would lose all its technology and the cargo bay door would fall open automatically, allowing Sulu to tiptoe on board and grab Chekov while the pirates were scratching their heads. When Sulu and Chekov were out, the pairs would retreat and Kirby would fire torpedoes from the outpost and destroy the ships. It was a hasty plan, but they didn't have time to figure out a more sound strategy. Chekov's life was in danger and they needed to rescue him as soon as possible.

Kirk's voice broke the momentary silence between the two. "I'm guessing that if the pirates get the technology, it'll be really bad."

"You are correct," Spock agreed. "This outpost lies on the very border between the United Federation of Planets and the Gorn Hegemony and our control over this world is a precarious one. If these pirates are searching for technology, as you assume, the ruling power over Cestus III will become the Gorn and they will gain another foothold into Federation space."

"So I'm right, if the pirates get their way the entire planet is screwed."

"Yes. We can continue later."

"Right." Their scanner flicked back on and Kirk appraised it eagerly. "The bogeys are standing still. We need to move forward a few metres before they come into sight. Then we can shoot them." He frowned as the signals disappeared. "I think someone just did that. Come on, let's get closer." When Spock hesitated before moving, an amused smile crossed across Kirk's face. "Was that Zia?"

"Yes. She requested to know if our mission was successful." Spock started moving and they crawled forward through the glass, towards where the ship would be. The pair closest to them became visible and Sulu had his face set determinedly as they approached their target.

"They should be busy given that we just hit them with an EMP. Hopefully they don't realise what's happening until after we get Chekov out."

The pairs converged on the ship and hunkered down in the grass, aiming phasers at the space where the ship was currently residing. It was a perfect picture of invisibility, if not for the open cargo bay door that seemed to lead to a room hovering in the sky. Kirk caught Sulu's gaze and nodded. Sulu whipped out his katana and approached the ship alone, crawling up the invisible ramp slowly.

Spock bent down so close that his breath touched Kirk's neck. "Do you believe Lieutenant Sulu will succeed?"

"He has to. As soon as he gets Chekov out we're getting out of here and letting Kirby fire torpedoes at the ship before they can take off." Kirk smiled grimly. "We don't react nicely when one of our own is captured."

"Surely they intended to use Lieutenant Chekov as a hostage."

"They're sure in for a surprise. On the _Enterprise_, we don't leave a friend behind. Never ever."

Spock's frown softened. "I believe that we will succeed. The just cause normally prevails unless the participants are inextricably foolish."

Kirk snickered. "So the good guys win unless they make stupid, selfish decisions."

"Precisely."

"I really think your human side is making an appearance."

"Hush."

They ducked down lower in the grass as a human pirate walked down the invisible cargo ramp, holding a primitive gun and binoculars. Every other pair ducked and froze as the pirate ran his binoculars over the surrounding grass suspiciously. Without scanners, their ability to detect danger was greatly reduced. Sulu had to hurry, otherwise the ship could come back online and the pirates would realise what was happening. Then their plan was ruined.

"We have one minute and fifty-three seconds until the ship overcomes the electromagnetic pulse," Spock breathed.

"They'll be back. Sulu's never failed us before and Chekov means a lot to him." Kirk smiled as the pirate retreated back into the ship without detecting anything.

"Do not move," Spock whispered imperceptibly. As if on cue, the pirate whipped around and narrowed his eyes on the field. It was a basic scout trick and no one fell for it. They remained still even when the pirate disappeared into the invisible space.

Someone shouted from inside the ship and phaser fire was heard from inside. Spock and Kirk readied their weapons and watched as the ship came into view, its cloak finally failing. Kirby's men began to back away slowly, phasers still aimed at the ship, preparing to run when Sulu and Chekov rushed out.

A tense silence ensued, broken by the rustling of grass. Spock's heart pounded and he calmed it immediately, telling himself that Sulu and Chekov would get out and they would be fine. He blocked his troubled thoughts from the mind-meld and narrowed his eyes over the top of the phaser. If a single pirate stepped out of the ship, all those hours spent in the simulator would be worth it.

Two humans burst from the cargo bay, one wearing a plain brown cloak and the other sporting a tactical yellow shirt. More humans barrelled after them, primitive guns in hand. Sulu stumbled, pressing one hand to his side, and swung his katana with the other. Chekov dived into the grass, clutching his leg, and the pirates found themselves barraged by enemy fire. All seven pairs let loose with their phasers and shot to kill, all the while retreating from the space. Sulu and Chekov rushed after them, blood dripping from both of them. Meanwhile the pirates dropped like flies.

"Commander, now would be the time!" Kirk shouted into his communicator. "Okay, let's get out of here!" He tugged Spock's cloak and they retreated, Sulu and Chekov falling into step with them. Behind them, the ship whirred with life and a pirate opened a hatch at the top with a machine gun in hand. The Romulan aimed down the sights and fired at the withdrawing officers, missing Kirk by inches. They dived into the tree line and crawled away, covering their ears with their hands as an explosion sounded behind them.

o.O.o

Safe in the _Enterprise _Infirmary, Kirk activated his communicator. "Commander Kirby, what's your status?"

_"__It's good to hear from you Captain! We've detained the survivors and are treating them now. I'm heading out with a group to clean up the site. We'll be fine on our own."_

Kirk looked across at where Sulu and Chekov lay unconscious on bio beds, the pilot with a gunshot wound to the navel and the navigator with one to his thigh. McCoy declared that they would be fine, but he was keeping them bedridden for a week until they were sufficiently recovered. "That's good news."

_"__Thank you for your help, Captain. You may have saved the planet from the Gorn."_

"Hey, I'm born to help. Thanks for letting us stay for a couple hours. My crew needed it."

_"__Good luck with your mission."_

"Likewise. Live long and prosper."

Kirby chuckled over the communicator. _"Live long and prosper."_

Kirk terminated the call and stood from the bed, his physical complete. McCoy said he was good to go and the Captain needed to give people orders. Spock joined him in the corridor and they walked to the Bridge together.

"Do you think we did the right thing?" Kirk asked quietly.

"Yes, I do. We protected the innocent."

"I suppose so, and Kirby's team is taking care of the survivors. I'm just wondering if any of them have a family… and if they're a pirate because they want to provide for their family. Some of them might not have any choice."

Spock's voice softened. "Captain, we performed the morally acceptable deed. The survivors may return to their family in the future. Starfleet does not tolerate people who perform dishonourable acts and there is always the option for an honest profession."

"So in Spock-speak, that's 'why be a criminal when you can get a real job since Starfleet likes people with real jobs'."

"I do not understand your use of the words 'Spock-speak'."

"Get used to it." They arrived on the Bridge. "I have enough trouble keeping up with your logic-babble as it is. Spock-speak is my translator." Kirk sat in his Captain's chair and looked at the acting pilot. "Set a course for Deep Space Area three-five-alpha-zulu-roger-six. That's our first stop."

"Yes Captain," the acting pilot said quickly. The _Enterprise _creaked and shot forward into unknown space. Kirk turned and grinned at Spock, earning a raised eyebrow from the Vulcan.

The real mission was just beginning.


	2. The Curse of Captain Kirk Part 1

Yes, here is the next chapter! I know, it took a while, but everyone knows that real life sucks.

For this chapter you don't need to have read my other stories. This is just a fun ditty where I tease Kirk's habit of making everything go wrong just by walking into the room! I really hope you enjoy.

Thank you to my beta, **MoreColoufulMoniker**.

o.O.o

**Chapter 2 – The Curse of Captain Kirk Part 1**

_Four months_

Sometimes, Spock reflected as he dodged an approaching tree, the great Captain Kirk was an idiot. Everything seemed to go wrong whenever Kirk was planet side.

"Did we lose them?" said Captain wheezed from behind the Vulcan, clutching his stomach painfully.

"I believe so," Spock replied evenly. His voice was higher than usual. "We have not received any indication that they may be following us."

"Then let's… take a break." They slowed to a shaky halt and Kirk collapsed on a rock, shaded by a huge tree. Spock gently lowered Uhura's cloaked form onto the rocky ground and touched her wrists, noting how her body was still in shock. "How's… she doing?" Kirk gasped squeakily.

"She is still experiencing shock, though I removed the weapon twenty minutes and forty-eight seconds ago."

"You mean… we were running for _twenty minutes_?"

"Indeed. They were most persistent. I am unsure how we were able to maintain such a speed for twenty minutes without the atmospheric conditions affecting us."

Kirk waved a hand dismissively. "Remind me to tell Bones that he needs to bump up my physical date. It'll make me want to exercise more." He collapsed.

o.O.o

Five hours previously Spock was sitting comfortably at his station, examining the atmospheric conditions of the planet they were approaching. He had detected the planet mere minutes ago and Sulu had adjusted their course so they would exit Warp above the atmosphere.

Zia tapped at her own console, taking in the information Spock was sending her. "It looks like there's plenty of oxygen and hydrogen in the atmosphere," she said quietly, "and some helium too."

"Helium indicates that our voices shall heighten if we are present on the planet," Spock replied.

She nodded and her fingers flew across the console. "Initial scans show signs of civilisation to the north. There seems to be a rich animal population."

Spock nodded. "I will take charge of this expedition."

"Yeah, after last time I'd assume so…"

They both remembered the most recent planetary mission. A group of Junior Science Officers (not including Zia) had gone down to the new planet to take samples and had been infected by the local bugs. All the infected had been human and the two non-humans had had to get Yeto down to the planet to treat them. Spock didn't trust any of the Junior Officers to go down without Senior Officers, so he forbade any blueshirts from going down unless the planet was scouted first.

On the planet before that, a group led by Scotty had recovered a weapon from an extinct alien race. They were still trying to figure out how it worked and Carol Marcus was leading the research.

Finding planets was more difficult than it seemed, as most galaxies only had a handful of planets and only one or two were habitable. The inhabitable ones were scanned and mostly ignored by everyone but the science officers. Then the next galaxy was a month Warp away. Of course they would stop to examine space anomalies to create a more accurate map of the deep space, but they did most of that while in Warp. The scanners would still work and their overall job was to explore, so it was easier that way.

It didn't make the mountain of paperwork for the science officers any easier. Spock, Zia, and the other science officers had been working hard to write up reports for every planet they passed, assigning them a class and general geographical information. As members of the Alpha-shift, it also meant that the Vulcans spent more time on the Bridge that anywhere else on the ship.

"I will entrust my duties as Chief Science Officer to you until I return."

Zia shook her head. "We need to get the go-ahead from Kirk before deciding anything. Uh… where did he go?"

Amusement flickered within Spock. "He retreated to the facilities fifteen minutes and eleven seconds ago."

"Oh." She snickered and looked back at her console. "Do you think it was the chocolate he ate for breakfast? I told him not to eat it."

"I believe so. When he returns presently I will confront him with our request."

"In the meantime I'll get started with that planet report." Zia tapped her console screen and a file opened. She began to fill in the options, classifying the planet as Class-M and writing oxygen, hydrogen and helium as the atmospheric conditions. Spock continued to scan the planet repeatedly, more information popping up with each new scan. He shared his findings with Zia and they worked efficiently together.

Kirk entered the Bridge, stretching. "I'm back ladies!" he announced, skipping over to his chair and plonking down. Spock was onto him immediately.

"Captain, I wish to request that I lead the expedition to this planet." He showed Kirk the PADD and the Captain frowned slightly.

"So there's people on the planet?"

"Yes. I am unaware of their lifestyle, although their structures indicate a nomadic existence." Spock reclaimed the PADD and watched Kirk expectantly.

Kirk stretched. "Well I haven't been on a mission for three months, so I'm dying for some action. How about you and me?"

"I also believe that Lieutenant Uhura should join us. She is a celebrated xenolinguist and her skills will be useful."

"Sure thing." Kirk tilted his head. "Does she want to come?"

Spock raised his eyebrow. "Shall I ask?"

"Don't bother," came a voice from behind them. "Lieutenant Uhura wants to go."

They both looked back at the maroon-clad woman. "I'll bet you're dying for some action too," Kirk smirked.

"Yep. You can only rely on entertainment from McCoy for so long." She crossed her arms. "Are you both going?"

"You, Spock and me," Kirk nodded. "It should be easy, right?"

o.O.o

After four more hours in Warp, the _Enterprise _dropped out above the atmosphere of the planet. Spock, Kirk and Uhura had discussed their approach in that time. They decided that they would beam down to the outskirts of the civilisation, disguised in dark brown cloaks, and observe the locals from a distance. Uhura would record conversations and try to gain some insight into their language. Spock would examine everything around him from trees to the air to the physicality of the people themselves. Kirk would sit there looking pretty and would take action if they were discovered.

"We all good?" Kirk asked. Spock and Uhura nodded from their seats in the conference room and stood, following the Captain into the corridor. They went straight to the Transporter room and strapped utility belts around their waists before donning the cloaks and standing on the pad. An older Ensign sat in the seat and entered the coordinates rigidly, her eyes fixed on the console in front of her.

"I trust you shall not let your impulsive nature interfere with our simple mission," Spock stated calmly.

"In Spock-speak: behave. I'll do my best," Kirk sighed, falling into a crouch. Spock and Uhura copied him. They were enveloped in the white light of the Transporter and everything disappeared for a moment. Instead of the crisp white of the _Enterprise_, they were faced with a dark, tree-filled planet. There were no brightly-coloured trees here. Everything was set in dark greens and browns and their cloaks matched their surroundings perfectly.

Spock whipped out his tricorder. "Initial scans indicate that the civilisation is indeed close by. There are no life-signs nearby, so we should remain undiscovered." A high-pitched squeak escaped his throat and he stopped, coughing awkardly.

Kirk gaped. "What was _that _sound?" His voice peaked, becoming higher with each word. He giggled, sounding like a chipmunk. "I guess this is from the helium in the atmosphere, huh?"

"You are correct."

Uhura doubled over in high-pitched laughter. "Spock, you sound ridiculous!" she giggled. "This is so funny! I'm glad I brought my recorder." She brandished it cheekily. Kirk rolled his eyes and led his crewmates through the bushes, reaching a rocky overhang that gave them a perfect view of the native civilisation. It was set in the very middle of a dirt-filled valley with forest lining the high edges where the Starfleet officers currently hid. The people lived in a large cluster of tents and quite a few were out and about.

"We must not interfere," Spock said immediately. "They must not know of our presence."

"Sure, sure," Kirk said dismissively. "This won't be a Nibiru repeat."

"Why do I have trouble believing that?" Uhura muttered. She held out her recorder and typed a few words to extend the range. Spock activated his tricorder and took stock of everything surrounding them: the appearance and density of the trees, the colour of the sky, the ionosphere, the current wind and weather patterns, a map of the surface, the tent design and many other factors. There was so much to look at. His heightened Vulcan eyesight picked up movement from within the native camp and he made note of the physical appearance of the people. They had four arms and were completely covered with hair.

"Did you get a picture of them?" the Captain asked, looking up from his scanner. Spock held up his tricorder and zoomed in on a native, snapping a picture to show Kirk. The blonde man gaped. "They're huge! Uhura, have you got a recording?"

"Yeah, it seems they talk in a high-pitched growl. It's probably because of the helium," she answered, manoeuvring her recorder to face Kirk.

"Okay. Will you be able to make any sense of the language? Hey, are you recording me?!"

She stopped the recording and snickered. "Now everyone on board can hear you sounding like a chipmunk! But yes, I can make sense of the language."

Spock glanced at them. "Captain, Lieutenant, I would prefer if you focused on the task at hand."

"Okay," Kirk nodded, "sure. I'll let you two do your thing."

They fell silent and Kirk moved back, sitting behind his crewmates. Spock went through all his scans and moved onto a biological scanner, attempting to find both a male and female subject to scan. Uhura ran the native language against similar languages within the Federation but came up with nothing.

Thirty minutes passed before Uhura switched off her recorder and sat back, rubbing her face. "This language makes no sense. I have no starting point." She groaned. "I'll bet that every civilisation we'll come across will be like this. I'd be surprised if we find a language that's compatible with a universal translator."

"It is possible," Spock replied. "I have acquired enough information. We may leave. Captain-" He froze. Kirk was gone.

"Uh… where's the Captain…?"

"I do not know." Spock activated his comm. "This is Commander Spock to _Enterprise_."

Sulu cracked up over the comm. "Spock, is that really you? You sound so weird!"

He huffed internally. "This atmosphere contains high amounts of helium. Now I would like to request a scan for Captain Kirk's transmitter signal."

Sulu replied after a few moments. "He's still on the planet, but his location is in the middle of the civilisation. Would you like me to try and hail him?"

Angry shouts sounded from the tents. Spock fought a smirk. "That is not necessary." He terminated the communication and tucked his tricorder underneath his cloak, standing up slowly. Uhura followed suit and they watched as Kirk's cloaked form burst out from the tents. He was being chased by quite a few four-armed natives.

"He's moving," Uhura said quietly. "The Transporter won't lock on."

Spock nodded. "Then we must assist the Captain." He jumped over the edge of the overhang, running unevenly down the pile of rocks and dirt to get to the valley bottom. Uhura followed slowly, her boots sinking into the dirt with her slow movement.

When they reached the bottom, they were almost level with Kirk. He approached quickly, yelling in terror. Uhura raised an arm to wave and gasped, stumbling back a step. Spock turned, panicked, and immediately saw a dart sticking in the side of the cloak. He tugged it out and threw her over his shoulder before falling into step with a sprinting Kirk. No words were exchanged as they ran from the angry natives, attempting to lose them through the dense forest with its winding paths. It was difficult to navigate through the trees but they had to. Worry coursed through Spock as he thought of Uhura's limp form draped over his shoulder. The material from her cloak ensured that he couldn't detect anything from her.

They ran for twenty minutes before Kirk finally slowed. At the human's stumble, anger surged through Spock. Kirk had probably gone and done something stupid that had landed them in this mess. They weren't supposed to interfere with the natives!

"Did we lose them?" said Captain wheezed from behind the Vulcan, clutching his stomach painfully.

"I believe so," Spock replied evenly, barely affected by the running. "We have not received any indication that they may be following us."

"Then let's… take a break." They slowed to a shaky halt and Kirk collapsed on a rock, shaded by a huge tree. Spock gently lowered Uhura's cloaked body onto the rocky ground and touched her wrists, noting how her body was still in shock. "How's… she doing?" Kirk gasped squeakily.

"She is still experiencing shock, though I removed the weapon twenty minutes and forty-eight seconds ago."

"You mean… we were running for _twenty minutes_?"

"Indeed. They were most persistent. I am unsure how we were able to maintain such a speed for twenty minutes without the atmospheric conditions affecting us."

Kirk waved a hand dismissively. "Remind me to tell Bones that he needs to bump up my physical date. It'll make me want to exercise more." He collapsed.

Spock marched over to the blonde and did his best to look intimidating. "Why were you being chased?"

Kirk winced on the ground. "I got bored. I decided to do some snooping so… I went into their camp. It turns out that they've got this shrine thing in the middle of the camp that we couldn't see. They… uh… well they walked through it really carefully so I tried to do the same and… I stepped on a leaf."

"You stepped on a leaf," Spock repeated in disbelief.

"Yes. I stepped on a leaf and they started chasing me and screaming. They tried to shoot me with these darts!"

Spock switched his gaze to Uhura. "We are stationary. I will contact the _Enterprise _and request beaming."

o.O.o

"_Honestly_," Zia laughed, "how did he manage to get into the camp unnoticed? You said there were heaps of natives."

"I am unsure." Spock glanced across the stark-white Infirmary to where Kirk and Uhura lay on neighbouring beds. Uhura was still unconscious, but McCoy had assured them that she'd been injected with a 'knock-out' chemical and it wasn't fatal. She'd be back on her feet in a day or so. Kirk had to stay in until Uhura was free to go, as it was his fault that she had been hit. McCoy had given no say in the matter.

"We should get going," Zia smiled. "You don't want to catch Kirk's curse."

He remembered something amusing about their situation on the planet. "As you know, the atmosphere contained high levels of helium. Our voices were higher in pitch than usual." At his words, she giggled. "Lieutenant Uhura recorded Captain Kirk's voice under the influence of the helium. When she wakes, her recording shall become viral around the ship."

Zia laughed and Spock stood from his bio bed, catching McCoy's eye. The grumpy doctor nodded begrudgingly and the two Vulcans left the Infirmary eagerly. "I'm just glad that you're okay. Getting chased by angry aliens is never fun."

"Do you speak from experience?"

"Sort of… I was chased by humans and they're alien to me." She tilted her head as they entered a Turbolift. "Would you like to eat before returning to the Bridge? You need your strength after that run."

He nodded, seeing the sense in her statement. "Food is wise." He typed in the level of the Mess Hall and they exited, walking close together. They could hear the voices and clinking of cutlery from two corridors away.

Zia tapped his arm. "Do you think McCoy should ban Kirk from going planet side? Everything bad seems to happen when Kirk's there."

"That is impossible," Spock replied reluctantly. "Captain Kirk would never overlook the possibility of an adventure."


	3. Unidentified Energy Signature

No, I do not have writer's block. I'm just having trouble finding time to write these chapters. But it will be finished! I've got it all planned out, all twenty chapters. There will be twenty: four chapters for each year they're in space.

I couldn't've done this without my wonderful beta, **MoreColourfulMoniker**.

o.O.o

**Chapter 3 – Unidentified Energy Signature**

_Nine months_

Everything seemed fine. The _Enterprise _was travelling at Warp, heading for the nearest galaxy that looked like it could be populated. There hadn't been any excitement for two weeks, but the crew was busy writing reports and studying artefacts that they'd already collected. Paperwork kept everyone on their toes.

Uhura, Sulu and Chekov were sitting at a table in the nearly empty Mess Hall. It was mid-afternoon and everyone else was working, but Kirk had given the three officers a break since they'd skipped lunch. Uhura was tapping away at her PADD, flicking through the messages that her department had sent, and Sulu and Chekov were chatting casually. They were the only ones in the Mess Hall.

"I found zat ze discoweries on zat last planet vere interesting," Chekov was saying. "I vouldn't hawe zought zat ze ionosphere could affect ze natural order of zings so much. All ze animals vere bigger zan ze ones on Earth."

"And the plant life was spectacular," Sulu agreed. "Most species were affected by the radiation coming from the atmosphere and some had even developed a humanlike sentience! I really wish McCoy let us bring some samples back."

"All ve hawe is zat ten minute session ve vere alloved to study on ze surface." Chekov pouted cutely. He stabbed his fork into his salad viciously. "More time vould hawe been amazing!"

They looked up as a familiar Vulcan approached, her tray laden with vegetarian food. "Hey guys," Zia greeted. "Can I sit with you?"

"Did the Captain send you out too?" Sulu asked.

"Yeah, and Spock took his side. They wanted me to go get some food." She shrugged and tucked into her potato chips and salad. "When did you last eat?"

Uhura switched off her PADD and paid it beside her now-cold fish. "We all skipped lunch in favour of getting some reports done, so he sent us here as punishment."

Zia raised her eyebrow and swallowed her mouthful. "And here I was thinking that I wasn't the only one starving myself. I haven't eaten all day."

Chekov grinned. "Food tastes pretty good if you hawen't eaten all day, da?"

"That it does." She sighed. "Can you believe that it's been nine months already? It doesn't feel like it."

Sulu nodded. "I know. It feels like a few weeks."

"That's what happens when you're in space for ages," Uhura said tiredly. "There's no sun so everything just moulds together into one huge day. I haven't been planet side for five months."

"Two weeks for me and Pasha," Sulu told them.

"A month," Zia finished. "You know, going planet side isn't all it's cracked up to be."

Uhura snorted. "Yeah, last time I went down with Kirk he got me shot! I am _never _going down with him again, not even if Spock's there. There's no guarantee that Spock can keep the Captain out of trouble."

The four friends giggled and Uhura's face brightened as she started eating her cold fish. "So Nyota," Zia began, "I'm curious as to how many dating offers you've received. I heard one of the engineers begging his friend to ask you out for him."

She rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't believe the amount. I've turned them all down. And a lot of the girls are going after jailbait here."

Chekov looked offended. "I'm not jailbait! I'm nearly tventy!"

Uhura patted his hand. "You'll always be the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed little Ensign to me. Besides, you look exactly the same."

"Oy!" Chekov cried indignantly. "I'we grovn!"

"Sorry kid, but your face has no lines like the rest of us," Sulu said soothingly.

Chekov grumbled. "Let's just eat and go back to ze Bridge." He glared as Uhura and Sulu high-fived.

o.O.o

When the four returned to the Bridge they sat in their usual seats and dismissed the officers that were filling in for them. Kirk was nodding off in the Captain's chair and Spock was working hard as always.

"You should go get some food," Zia murmured to him.

"That is unnecessary. I ate at 1204 and allocated myself a thirty minute rest while doing so."

She rolled her eyes. "So where are we heading?"

"Initial scans have proved fruitless, yet we should reach our destination in seven days, thirteen hours, eight minutes and two seconds."

Zia opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off when a sudden darkness struck. The entire Bridge was obscured and the blackness of space filled the front window. They'd dropped out of Warp. Someone shouted in horror and Kirk leapt up from his chair, suddenly awake.

"What happened?" he shouted. The lights flickered for a second before coming back on. Everyone was immediately at their consoles, typing furiously in an attempt to find out what went wrong. Kirk crossed to Spock's console. "What can you pick up?"

The Vulcan visibly frowned. "It appears that we Warped straight past an unidentified energy signature. It entered our Warp space and infiltrated our systems."

Kirk spun around and pointed dramatically at the Russian navigator. "Chekov, get your ass to Engineering!" Chekov scurried away and Kirk dived into his seat and activated ship-wide communication. "Attention all crewmembers, this is Captain Kirk. An unidentified energy signal has infiltrated our systems. We don't know if it's dangerous or not, so I urge you to avoid using anything connected to the ship's systems. This includes the Turbolifts, doors, food synthesisers and computers. Stay where you are until we sort out the problem." He turned off the comm and stared at his Bridge crew. "All of you, get off your consoles now. This signal could be dangerous." He tapped the arm of his chair and it popped open to reveal a hand-held communicator.

Spock switched off his console begrudgingly and glanced at Zia and Uhura, who were doing the same. "We cannot learn the identity of this signature if we cannot use our consoles," he told them.

Uhura raised her hands. "Hey, this isn't my area. Hopefully Engineering can do something."

The lights flickered again and the ship creaked. Chekov's voice sounded through Kirk's communicator. _"Keptain, I'm in Engineering! Scotty has located ze signal. It's hiding in ze core and draining our pover!"_

_"__Aye," _came Scotty's voice. _"Capt'n, a full ship shutdown should get tha signal away from tha core. If we isolate it, we can do somethin'."_

"Do it," Kirk replied immediately.

There was a pause. _"I'm sorry Capt'n, bu' tha wee bugger has shut us out o' tha system an' we cannae reach tha manual shutdown. Tha doors are closed."_

Kirk cursed. "Dammit. We need answers Scotty."

A shudder ran through the ship and the lights failed, enveloping the interior in darkness. Zia's Vulcan ears detected a faint hissing noise, but as soon as she registered it, it stopped. Her eyes widened and she stood abruptly.

"Captain!" she called hoarsely. "We need oxygen masks _right now_. The oxygen's failed." Even as she said it, everyone became aware of a slight lightness in the atmosphere. The temperature abruptly dropped.

"You heard the Lieutenant!" Kirk bellowed. He slammed his hand on the comm, but it only spluttered slightly. "Dammit." He grabbed his communicator and flipped it open, muttering slightly as he fiddled with the motherboard inside.

Uhura felt under her console for the emergency pack. "I thought there were supposed to be failsafe's against this kind of thing."

"We're entering new space," Zia replied, sitting back down. "Our ship is unprotected against the unfamiliar surroundings." She found her own pack and extracted her oxygen mask, fitting it around her face and activating it. Clear oxygen entered her brain and she sighed in relief, glancing around to make sure that everyone else was doing the same.

Kirk cried out in joy and pressed a button on his communicator. "This is Captain Kirk calling all crew communicators! The oxygen has failed and I'm ordering everyone to find the nearest oxygen mask and activate it! Keep your communicators close at hand. This signal has caused a ship-wide failure and this is the only way I can contact you." He ended the transmission and pulled his own mask out from underneath his chair.

Zia glanced at Spock. _'Uh, what did Kirk just do?'_

Spock met her gaze calmly, looking slightly ridiculous with the mask strapped to his face. _'He changed the signal output of his communicator and expanded its range to include all other devices. That way he could send a message that they would all receive.'_

_'__Oh, so he hacked into the signals?'_

_'__Yes.'_

_'__I've never seen him do anything like that.'_

Amusement flickered in Spock's mind. _'He is very intelligent, despite what others believe.'_

Kirk flicked his communicator again. "Okay Scotty, please give me good news."

_"__Believe it or not Capt'n, we have good news! Tha lad found a vent tha' leads to tha manual shutdown. He thinks he can squeeze through."_

_"__Da, I can! And I vill!"_

_"__I told ye, Keenser can fit jus' fine."_

_"__Keenser is locked on ze hydraulics deck. He vouldn't get here in time."_

"Chekov, just do what you have to do."

"Captain," Spock called, "my scanner detects that the oxygen level is fifty-two-point-eight percent. It is dangerous for it to drop beneath twenty-five percent, as we may suffer from unwanted physical affects."

Kirk nodded. "And be quick about it. The oxygen is dropping rapidly."

_"__Da Keptain."_

The transmission ended and everyone seemed to slump in their chairs. Zia imagined McCoy's voice if he was there, "you're putting all our lives in the hands of a seventeen-year-old?", but of course, Sulu would reply that Chekov was nineteen now, but nineteen wasn't much better, even if it was Zia's age when she met Spock. Chekov's age didn't matter. He was their best bet at getting out of this situation alive. Sure, it wasn't their first near-death experience since the mission started, but this was the first time that the ship had been infested with a… virus? If that's what she could call it.

Spock cleared his throat. "Oxygen levels have dropped further to forty-point-nind percent."

Kirk let loose a few colourful swear words. "Scotty, what's going on?"

_"__Chekov's through tha vent. He's tryin' ta restore limited power ta tha protective casing so he can ge' inside." _Scotty's voice turned anxious. _"Wha's tha oxygen level?"_

"Thirty-four-point-four percent," Spock answered.

"Thirty-four-point-four percent," Kirk relayed, "and if it gets below twenty-five, we're in trouble."

Scotty groaned. _"We may no' have enough time! He's not even past tha protective casin'!"_

"Calm down Scotty," Kirk ordered. "He'll get it done. This is Chekov we're talking about." He turned in his chair and glared at Spock. "As soon as this is over you're going to write a failsafe for this. We need to protect our systems."

"I will update our current system promptly," Spock replied hastily. An angry Captain was a dangerous one. "Thirty-point-seventeen percent."

"Come on Chekov," Uhura whispered. She shivered as the temperature dropped further. Beside her, Spock and Zia shook from the cold, as Vulcans were more susceptible to cooler temperatures.

"Twenty-seven-point-fifty-three," Spock said evenly, not allowing his voice to falter. Panic began to course through Zia and Spock covered her hand with his. _'This is not the first time we have experienced near-death circumstances.'_

_'__I know. I just hate sitting here waiting to freeze to death or Chekov to activate the manual override.'_

_'__Do not lose hope. We-'_

A hissing sound entered the Bridge and the lights flicked on. Everyone let out a very audible sigh of relief.

_'__They have to stop saving us at the last moment,' _she sighed. _'This is getting pretty old.'_

Kirk slammed his communicator down. "Scotty, did we do it?"

_"__Aye Capt'n. Chekov initiated tha manual override."_

"Spock, isolate the signal and get rid of it!"

"Yes Captain." Spock let go of Zia's hand and turned to his console, his fingers flying furiously over the controls. His brow furrowed as he focused completely on stopping the unidentified energy signature that had almost killed them. He leant back in his chair. "I have isolated it in one of our ejection modules."

"Ejection modules?" Kirk asked, confused. There was a murmur of agreement around the Bridge as the crew heard of these modules for the first time.

"As we are defenceless against new viruses that have not been encountered by Starfleet, I took the liberty to install several ejection modules on the ship's exterior that are connected to the main system. Its software allows for a virus to be trapped within and I can eject the module if I wish."

Uhura whistled. "You think of everything."

Kirk grinned. "Eject that module! I'm assuming it has a self-destruct?"

"Affirmative. Firing module."

Everyone watched the monitor as the module flew away from the ship and rocketed into the distance. Spock pressed another button and a burst of light flashed, followed by the blackness of space.

It was getting warmer and everyone slowly removed their oxygen masks, relaxing in their seats. Spock and Zia didn't relax and promptly began a system-wide scan to see if the virus was still within the ship's computers.

Kirk let out a breath and activated ship-wide communication. "Attention crew, this is Captain Kirk. The crisis has been averted thanks to Lieutenant Chekov's and Commander Spock's quick actions. Everyone except Alpha-shift can take the rest of the day off. I want all Alpha-shift crewmembers to report to the Bridge pronto. Kirk out."

Spock spun in his chair as the Bridge emptied. "I cannot detect any trace of the offending energy signature."

Zia let out a breath. "He's right. I can't find anything, but it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on the power distribution system."

Scotty, Chekov and a grumbling McCoy entered the Bridge. The two older men claimed random seats while the younger went back to his station, high-fiving a grinning Sulu. "Ve kicked zat signals butt!" Chekov declared.

"Tha' we did," Scotty agreed. "I'm proud o' ye lad."

"Not bad for a kid," McCoy smirked. Chekov pouted, but didn't reply.

"Well," Kirk declared, casting his eyes over the Alpha-shift – Spock, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov, Zia, Scotty and McCoy. "Well we did it. Good job guys. I couldn't have asked for a better crew."

Uhura grinned. "We couldn't have asked for a better Captain."


	4. One-Hundred Years

So the fact that Starfleet was created exactly one-hundred years before this chapter is set is a complete coincidence. 2161 and now it's 2262. I love it when a plan comes together! I assure you, there's no writers block. My focus has been on all the _Naruto _fanfics I'm writing and there's at least 20 so far, so expect to see them posted once I'm finished with this!

Oh, and I'm taking requests because there are a couple chapters that don't currently have an adventure. If you've got an awesome idea, I'd love to hear it!

o.O.o

**Chapter 4 – One-Hundred Years**

_Eleven months_

The first thing Zia noticed upon waking was her alarm.

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Groaning, she slid her finger across the alarm screen and it shut up immediately. No… she didn't want to leave her lovely warm bed… the sheets were so soft and she was so comfy… did she really have to get up?

_Maybe I can catch a few more minutes… _she thought sleepily, snuggling into her pillow. Five minutes passed and her alarm blared again, jerking her from a light doze. She slammed her hand on the screen this time and the alarm deactivated. It was four in the morning, ship time. A moan escaped her and she grabbed at her sheets blearily, wishing that she hadn't stayed up until midnight reading reports. Spock better appreciate the amount of time and effort she spent making sure the paperwork was in order. Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands, she yawned and pushed her sheet aside, pressing bare feet against the ground. Her eyes opened and she hobbled away from her bed, moving from her dark grey bedroom to the stark-white bathroom. She blinked at the sudden brightness and stripped off her undergarments, moving straight into the shower.

The warm water was a blessing on her back. It trailed down her body and she simply stood under the stream, allowing the water to soothe her tired muscles and prepare her for the coming day. After five minutes, she turned off the shower and towelled herself dry, paying particular attention to her soaked hair. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and frowned at the dark bags under her eyes. Those hadn't been there a month ago.

"You should get more sleep," she murmured to her reflection.

It took two minutes for Zia to throw on a bra, panties, her science-blues and Starfleet-issued boots, allowing her damp hair to fall down her back. She took a moment to straighten her bed and exited her room after grabbing her PADD and a stack of reports, eyes heavy. The trip to the Mess Hall passed by quickly and she walked straight up to a synthesiser, ordering a fruit salad. Balancing the PADD, reports and salad was a challenge but she'd had plenty of practice. As there was barely anyone there at this early hour, she sat by herself and began to eat, continuing where she'd left off last night. That particular report contained information on a sample of water that was tested two weeks ago. As she was good with Oceanography, it was only logical that she study such reports.

Mornings were very slow. Zia enjoyed the slow time and her mind wandered to the rest of her friends. Right now, Spock would either be working or meditating. Kirk, Chekov, Uhura, Yeto and Caitlin would be sleeping. Scotty would be in Engineering. McCoy would be drinking his hundredth cup of coffee. Sulu would be in the gym. Everyone was so predictable in the mornings. Then again, mornings were the worst.

When the fruit salad was gone she retrieved a coffee and sipped it slowly, enjoying the bitter taste on her tongue that served to heighten her awareness. Once that was finished she cleaned up her bowl and cup and left the Mess Hall, her arms full of reports. Paper reports were a pain to carry around, but they served as a backup in case the PADD system crashed. It _had _happened before.

The Bridge was manned by Beta-shift when Zia entered. She waved away her replacement and sat in her usual seat, setting the reports on her console. Then she continued to work her way through the pile, her brain slowly turning to mush as she read report… after report… after report… after report…

"Morning," greeted a familiar voice. Uhura slid into her recently-vacated seat and stretched. "How long have you been here?"

"I honestly don't know," Zia sighed. "It has to have been a couple hours at least."

"It's seven in the morning. When did you get here?"

"Well I woke up at four and had breakfast and came here. You do the math."

Uhura yawned. "You're making me tired just talking about it. Well you should try and get a nap sometime today because we'll be having a late night."

"Huh?" Zia blinked.

The human stared at her like she was an idiot. "Today marks one-hundred years since the establishment of Starfleet in 2161! There's this big party tonight."

"That's weird. I haven't heard anything about a party. Is everyone going?" Seriously, how hadn't she known about this? The ship had a massive gossip vine and she should have heard something about the party. Then again, she'd been buried in work for quite a while. A party was the last thing on her mind.

"Hell yeah, everyone wants to go. Kirk's been having some trouble finding people who _don't _want to go, except for Spock of course, but he's forcing Spock to come tonight."

"I'll stay," Zia volunteered. "I'm not one for parties. You remember what happened on New Year's a few years ago."

Uhura grinned. "I do remember. That was when Kirk and McCoy spiked your drink… everyone saw a different side to Spock."

They looked up as Kirk strolled onto the Bridge, coffee in one hand and a PADD in the other. He nodded at the man in the Captain's chair and waited for the Beta-shift member to leave the Bridge before sitting down, promptly flipping through his countless emails and tying responses when needed. His boredom was clear.

Zia crossed to his chair, pushing her hair behind her ears. "Morning Captain."

"Morning Lieutenant," he replied absently. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I heard today that there's a party tonight and you're having trouble finding people to go on duty…"

"Yeah."

"I can man the Bridge if you like."

He looked at her for the first time that morning, his face breaking out into a grateful smile. "Really? I mean, that'd be great! You'd be on your own though. No one else wanted to stay and I'm making Spock come."

"That's okay. I've spent enough time around the systems to be familiar with them."

"Thank you. I mean it. It was hard enough getting a handful of engineers to go on duty as well as a couple people in the Infirmary. I had honestly given up hope and was going to man the Bridge myself."

"You don't need to stress."

He grinned. "If you're going to handle the Bridge tonight, I hereby order you to have the rest of the day off. You look exhausted. Go and get some sleep."

She smiled warmly. "Thank you Jim."

o.O.o

Again, it was her alarm that brought her to the land of the awake.

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!_

She rolled over in bed and pressed the screen, deactivating the alarm. This time she didn't dawdle and dressed quickly, gathered her paperwork and rushed to the Bridge. She passed no one in the halls, as they were probably getting ready for the party. Only Spock was on the Bridge when she arrived, thoroughly engrossed in his console.

"Hey gorgeous," she called as the door closed behind her. Spock spun in his seat and stood, bowing his head.

"I have almost finished my diagnostic. Please allow me to stay until my replacement arrives. I cannot leave the Bridge unattended."

She sighed. "Spock, I'm your replacement."

He blinked. "You are not attending the celebration?"

"No. I volunteered to stay on duty." She smiled humourlessly. "It was either me or Kirk, and he's a lot more important than me."

Spock crossed to her in two steps, taking the paperwork from her arms. "I am aware that we have not spent time together recently. I had hoped that tonight we could reconnect." He carried it over to her console and she followed him, rolling her eyes.

"Honestly Spock, I'm not a needy girl. We can go for a few weeks without hanging out and I'm fine with it. As long as you're there for me, I'm okay." She smiled and touched his hand. "After this we can have some chess time, if you'd like."

His eyes locked with hers, filled with a strange intensity. "I would like that very much." He stepped closer, forcing her to move back until she leant against the science console. A sudden awareness surged through her body and she swallowed, not looking away from his hypnotic gaze.

"Spock…" His hands rested on the console, either side of her hips, and his legs leant against hers. Their chests pressed together, allowing them to feel the others accelerated heartbeat, and their breath mingled within the small gap between their faces. His eyes searched hers for discouragement – any sign that she wanted some space – but found none. All he found was desire.

"Zia…" he breathed, brushing his lips against hers. The kiss deepened immediately, her arms snaking around his neck to pull him closer. His hands released the console and moved to rest on her hips, pulling them close to his. Their eyes closed and they kissed as if they hadn't seen each other for months.

After two long minutes she pulled away and sighed, kissing his lips briefly. "You best get going. I'll be fine here."

He gently released her and stepped back, not regretting a single moment. "I will return later tonight. Until then, live long and prosper."

"Live long and prosper," she farewelled, waving as he exited the Bridge. When he left, she sank into her chair, pressing a hand to her middle in an attempt to stem her racing heart. They'd been dating for… what? Three and a half years? And he still managed to elicit these responses from her. Every time they kissed, it was like they'd only just started dating. She felt flushed, embarrassed and light-headed with every touch. Well, that's what being in love did to her.

She took a deep breath and stood, moving around the Bridge to check every console and ship status. If something was wrong she wanted to know immediately.

The rest of the night seemed to pass very slowly. They'd dropped out of Warp that morning to give the Core a rest and were floating in a clear area of space. Hopefully everything would go smoothly and they wouldn't get attacked by unfriendly aliens while the rest of the crew was probably getting _very _drunk.

"Space…," she murmured dramatically, "the final frontier! These are the continuing voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Her ongoing mission… to explore strange new worlds… to seek out new life forms, and new civilisations… To boldly go, where no one has gone… before…" She danced around the Bridge as she spoke, revelling in her time alone. Then she clambered to the top of Kirk's chair and bowed to an imaginary audience. "Thank you, oh thank you my loyal subjects! You're too kind…"

Giggling, she jumped down and bowed a few more times before returning to her console. The stack of reports was still there and she reluctantly began to sort through them again, signing when needed and organising them into chronological order. All the while humming absently, as there was no one to be annoyed by the sound.

A sudden beeping from Chekov's console caught her attention and she tripped over her chair in her haste to get to the console. When she finally got there, she read the screen and paled. Sensors had detected an asteroid rapidly approaching the ship on a collision course.

"Oh dear…" she murmured, pressing a few buttons to predict the asteroid's exact course. If the computer was correct, then the asteroid would smash right through the hull. It was time to put those eleven months of study to use. Yes, she'd learnt the basic controls for all sections of the ship. It made her job easier.

She leapt into the pilot's seat and disengaged the external inertial dampener, allowing the ship to move freely from its previously motionless state. After a moment's thought, she decided not to contact Kirk about the issue. He was probably too drunk anyway. She'd tell him tomorrow when the crisis was averted, as all she had to do was move out of the way. It wasn't a huge problem, but she would have to write the report and have Spock and Kirk both sign off… there was so much paperwork involved in running a Starship.

"Okay," she muttered, "let's do this. I just have to move the ship out of the way. It shouldn't be that hard…" She bit her lip and flicked the sublight controls before pressing down the steering stick. The ship creaked as it moved forward, out of range of the asteroid. Zia let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding as the asteroid continued on its previous path. A sudden thought struck her and she hurried to the weapons console, locking onto the asteroid with a torpedo. There was no hesitation and she tapped the correct button and watched the asteroid blow to bits. At least it wasn't a threat anymore.

Smiling, she did another sweep with the sensors before returning to her reports.

o.O.o

As soon as Kirk entered the Bridge the next morning, Zia pounced. She handed over her PADD for Kirk to sign and he frowned at the report.

"What's this?" he asked. "When was there an asteroid?"

"Last night," she replied. "I evaded and neutralised it."

He stared at the young Vulcan. "You're saying… last night when we were partying… we could have been killed by an asteroid…?"

"Yes. It's all good now. I didn't contact you because I figured you'd get pretty drunk."

"I didn't really drink that much. I was busy watching Bones because he got _smashed_. He's still in bed with a hangover."

She chuckled and gestured at the PADD. "I need you to sign off on the report. Would you like me to visit McCoy and see if he needs anything?"

"No." He shook his head. "When Bones is hungover he needs to be left alone." He slid his finger across the PADD screen and signed the report, handing it back. "Thanks for saving our asses, but it'd be nice for a heads-up next time. I like to know when I'm about to die."

"Yes Captain. Hey, what did Spock get up to? He doesn't normally sleep this late…"

"He's sleeping? How do you know?"

She gave him an obvious look. "Mind-meld, duh. What did you do?"

"Spock didn't drink, I'm sure of it, not that it'd affect him anyway. I'll bet he was taking care of drunk people and didn't get to sleep until recently."

"I wasn't really monitoring the connection, but I can tell that he's been sleeping for an hour and twelve minutes already." She tapped her PADD. "You should give the poor guy the day off. I'll take over his shift."

Kirk frowned at her pale face and tired expression. "I think you need to sleep. I'll call in the Beta-shift."

"But-"

"No buts Abbott! You're exhausted and you need some rest. You can have the day off. _Go to sleep_."

She sighed in defeat. "Okay. Shouldn't you be resting?"

"No, I had my rest last night. I'm ready for work!"

They smiled at each other and Kirk clapped her shoulder friendlily. Shaking her head, Zia exited the Bridge and made her way to her room, amused at the amount of hungover people that wandered through the corridors. One Turbolift trip later and she stood in front of her room, hand hovering over the scanner. She glanced behind her at the door opposite, her thoughts turning to Spock. His sleep was deep and much-needed. The smile that crossed her face was one of realisation. She'd sleep a lot better if she was with him.

Instead of going into her room, she moved to the door opposite and keyed in a different code, entering with barely a sound. She stood in a small living area, with two doors leading to the bedroom and bathroom. This was hardly her first visit to his room. She entered the bedroom and squinted in the near-darkness, noting the prone figure wrapped in the blanket, rising and falling slowly with each breath. His clothes were perfectly folded on his bedside table for when he woke up. She unzipped her boots and placed them beside the door before taking off her science-blues and crawling into the bed with him, clad only in her bra and panties.

His arms were around her before she was fully comfortable and he pulled her close, pressing his face into her arm. She closed her eyes and snuggled close, dropping off to sleep in a matter of moments.


	5. All Hell Breaks Loose

Hey it's March... where did the time go...? Oh yeah, planning University classes, buying a car, booking my driving test and blah blah blah. Tomorrow is my first day of Uni and I'm nervous and excited at the same time. Not that you care of course. You're just here to read the story! So here it is!

o.O.o

**Chapter 5 – All Hell Breaks Loose**

_One year, five months_

"You said there are lots of different groups living in different areas and you got a language recording of each group. I don't understand the language, per se, but I can tell by listening that there are several different dialects on the planet. There's a dialect for each different group, sort of like the different dialects of Romulan, except these guys don't have any contact with each other."

"How can you tell?"

"Some words are the same, except one of the groups adds these small guttural sounds to their 'h' and 'c'. Another puts more emphasis on the vowels and some of the word formations have been tweaked. If I was to guess, I'd say that the planet was once united, but then split off into different groups. The languages changed over time. It's like home, where there are loads of different languages all over the planet. I wouldn't say that's a good example, but it's all I can say that you'd understand."

"You're right about that. It was hard enough learning Vulcan."

"If I wanted to confuse you I'd harp on about the history of the Andorian and Klingon languages. You'd be surprised about some of the stuff, but it's very boring."

"Again, you're right. Well I think I have enough material for my report. Thanks Caitlin."

"You're welcome Zia."

An alarm blared and both women jumped in surprise. Zia's eyes swivelled to the lab door and she frowned, reaching forward to grasp Caitlin's hand reassuringly.

"What the heck was that?" the Vulcan muttered.

o.O.o

The strange object had been on the scanners for a week already. Kirk made sure that they would drop out of Warp in close proximity to the object so they could examine it from a distance and determine if it was dangerous or not. It was emitting a strange energy signature that made Spock curious.

"Dropping out of Varp Keptain," Chekov called. Spock leant forward in his seat, ears pricked, and watched as the Warp window gave way to a view of colourful nebula and space phenomenon. Orange, purple and red singularities swirled aimlessly in the vacuum of space, twinkling white stars visible past the curtain of colour. Hidden within the colours was the object they were searching for – a rectangular shape that unnerved Spock.

Kirk leant forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees. "Spock, run a full scan now that we're close," he said softly. Spock had already started a scan and continued, noting several unfamiliar materials made up the structure of the object.

"It appears to be a containment vessel," he announced. He swept over the vessel with another type of scan and pursed his lips, hiding his shock. "It contains a living being."

The Bridge was deadly silent. "You're saying…" Kirk hesitated. "You're saying that there's something _alive _in there?"

"Affirmative. Revising my previous statement, I believe this is an escape pod."

Kirk went all business and tapped the comm, directing it down to Engineering. "Scotty, its Kirk. I need you to prepare a space in the rear cargo bay for an alien escape pod."

_"__Aye Capt'n."_

He looked up at Chekov and Sulu. "Boys, I need you to get into position over the pod so we can scoop it up into the rear bay."

"Yes Captain."

"Da Keptain."

Spock continued to run his scans as the _Enterprise _slowly moved into position over the escape pod. Sulu and Chekov were very careful and touchy with the controls, knowing that the pod could easily self-destruct if it came into contact with the exterior of the ship.

Spock activated his own comm. "Spock to Lieutenant Marcus."

_"__Yes Commander?" _Carol Marcus said through the comm.

"I require your presence in the rear cargo bay. We are currently intercepting an alien escape pod and I request that you examine the pod to determine its weapon potential."

_"__Yes Commander. I'll be there shortly." _With that, she terminated the call.

Kirk turned and eyed his Vulcan First Officer. "Smart thinking," he said approvingly. "After all, you never know if there's shielding until a weapon's expert takes a look."

"My thoughts exactly." Spock nodded, fighting a smile, and turned back to his console, aware that Kirk was grinning like a fool. Why was he friends with the Captain again? He didn't even know…

"We're in position," Sulu called.

Kirk rubbed his face. "Okay, move the ship down and get that pod into the cargo bay."

Sulu and Chekov went back to focusing on the pod and the Bridge was deadly silent for several long moments. Spock abandoned his scans in favour of watching the front screen like everyone else.

"Keptain," Chekov said finally, "ve hawe successfully captured ze pod."

"Yeah!" Kirk cried, leaping into the air with a huge grin on his face. "Spock, you're with me. I haven't been this excited in ages!" He literally bounded to the Turbolift and squirmed impatiently as Spock moved leisurely to join him. It was clear that everyone wanted to be a part of the discovery, but only a select few were always first in line for the fun, Kirk and Spock being two of the few.

They exited the Turbolift and Spock grabbed the back of Kirk's yellow shirt to stop the excited Captain from running off. The Vulcan bit back several comments comparing Kirk to a child on their birthday.

Marcus and her team were waiting outside the cargo bay when the pair approached. Scotty came around the opposite corner at the same time, Keenser in tow. The three parties looked at each other for a long moment, and Scotty broke the silence.

"Le's go," he said simply, moving forward and unlocking the cargo bay entrance. Everyone piled through the door and stopped, staring at the alien escape pod.

It was clearly designed to last. Made of a dark metallic substance, it was larger than an average escape pod, indicating that the being inside was larger than a human. Strange patterns traced the sides in a foreign language, converging at what seemed to be the top of the pod. A type of keyboard rested at one end of the pod and Scotty approached it warily, tricorder in hand.

"It's big," Kirk stated. Marcus dodged past him and joined Scotty in an initial scan of the pod. Spock approached the keyboard and touched a slender finger against one of the buttons, listening to the harmonic resonance that emanated from the touch.

"Harmonic resonance," he murmured absently, touching another control. He was careful, as he didn't know which button would awaken the being inside the pod. "This keyboard appears to be an activation panel," he said to the room at large. "In order to open the pod, the correct code must be entered."

"Right," Kirk sighed. "This is going to take a while. Have fun folks, I'm heading back to the Bridge."

The Captain left the room and the science team, Spock and Scotty returned their attention to the pod before them.

o.O.o

They had no warning. Spock attempted another combination, ruling it out from his list of possibilities, and a strange pulse burst from the device.

Immediately, all the humans collapsed, unconscious. Only Spock and an Andorian science officer remained standing, staring at their collapsed comrades in shock. Spock moved first and grabbed his communicator.

"Captain Kirk, this is Spock. Captain, please respond!" Static greeted his message and Spock closed it, preparing for another form of communication. He stopped when a hissing sound escaped the pod, and both he and the Andorian backed away a few steps.

"What the…" the Andorian muttered nervously.

The pod opened suddenly, its gears creaking from disuse. They watched as a figure slowly rose from the pod. It wore metal armour that covered its entire body except for its face, which was pale blue and hairless. Such a creature had never been encountered by Starfleet before.

The alien stood and turned, facing both conscious men. It stalked over to them, a strange expression on its blue face and in its white eyes, and moved with lightning speed for something that had been in stasis for years. Spock dodged its first hit and spun behind it, aiming a straight punch to its head. It ducked and swung its arm around, catching him in the stomach and sending him hurtling into the escape pod. Then the alien turned to the frozen Andorian.

"Warn Captain Kirk!" Spock cried, righting himself and leaping for the alien. He landed on its back as the Andorian rushed from the room, tripping over one of his unconscious comrades along the way. To his luck, the alien was completely immersed in getting Spock off its back, bucking and twisting. Only Spock's Vulcan strength allowed him to hang on and he felt a brief stab of fear as the alien almost succeeded in throwing him off. Then, moving with more lightning speed, the alien leapt back into the nearest wall, crushing Spock between the armour and the wall. Spock coughed as his body contracted and found himself completely defenceless with his arms and legs pinned.

The alien let out a slight grunting sound and stepped forward, not looking back as the Vulcan crumpled behind it. It paused for a moment, listening to Spock suck in a breath, and reached down, touching a gloved hand to the Vulcan's skin. Spock immediately pushed its hand aside, rolling away from the alien. It watched him for a moment, a dangerous glint in its eye, and strolled from the room, leaving the injured man behind him.

Spock's entire body ached from the crushing impact against the wall. He allowed a small sound to escape his lips as he stood, his body protesting. An alarm sounded, harsh and loud, and he covered his sensitive ears, his face twisting with pain. He quickly assessed his injuries, noting no broken but several fractures bones, and quite a few bruises and lacerations from where the armour had cut his skin.

Who was this alien? Where did it come from? Why had it attacked? Judging from the armour, it belonged to a form of military, though Spock didn't know which one. The pods origin date was hundreds of years previous, so it was possible that this alien was the last of its kind. Spock thought about the look in its eye, the uncaring, bored look. This creature had no intelligence and no real purpose, he presumed, other than fighting.

In conclusion, it was a situation similar to his experience with Khan some years previous. This alien was physically powerful and completely driven by one goal, its one difference to Khan being its lack of intelligence and ability to think for itself.

However, there was something strange about the way it touched his skin. Spock hadn't been able to sense its emotions, as its hand was gloved, but he feared that the alien had sensed his own. There was no telling what the touch meant, but if the alien had stolen information from the Vulcan's mind, it was now a threat to the crew's safety.

After drawing his conclusion, Spock rushed painfully from the lab to catch up with the alien.

o.O.o

As the alarm continued to sound, Zia didn't take any chances and ran across the linguistics office, closing and locking the hydraulic door. Caitlin remained in the chair, gripping her walking stick tightly.

"That's not the normal alarm," Zia said slowly, her Vulcan mind working furiously. "This is the 'lock your doors and hide' alarm."

"I have no idea what it's about," the blind woman added. "It's obviously more dangerous than a lab explosion. Maybe there's been an outbreak in the science labs?"

"I doubt it. I did an inventory check only a month ago and we haven't been experimenting with any viruses or contaminants. It can't be something from the labs." Zia shook her head. "It's gotta be something like an anomaly. You remember the last one? It hacked into the systems and almost destroyed the oxygen."

"I remember."

Zia returned to her seat beside the blind woman and frowned as something prickled in the back of her head, where her pain receivers were. Since she wasn't in any danger, she reasoned that Spock was in pain for some reason.

She gasped. Spock was in pain!

"Something's happened!" she cried, standing again. "Spock's hurt! I have to go!"

"No! Stay! I can't go anywhere without you and we're safer here."

"Spock is the love of my life and he's in danger. I'm not going to stand aside while he's hurting."

Zia rushed to the door, unlocking and opening it before racing from the room. She turned the first corner and skidded to a stop, staring.

A strange being was walking up the corridor in her direction. Its armour was high-tech and its head was clean-shaven. She blinked and lowered her hand to her hip, where her phaser usually rested during a crisis, but there was nothing there but blue material.

The alien locked its eyes on her and picked up the pace, heading straight for her. Zia turned and ran back the way she came, bursting back into the office and locking the door behind her. Caitlin, hiding under the desk, didn't move as Zia squeezed beside her in their feeble hiding spot.

"There's some alien outside," the Vulcan whispered. "It came right for me."

"You have no idea of its capabilities, I would advise against fighting it without a phaser."

"Phaser! Where's the phaser in this room?"

Caitlin hesitated. "In the drawer beside the door."

Zia darted from under the desk, reaching the drawers as something pounded against the door. She rifled through the drawers, moving downwards in an attempt to find the phaser. Where was it? Where was it? She was panicking now.

The door buckled and the alien pushed it down, entering the room and swivelling its head to stare at Zia. She frantically opened the last drawer and saw the glint of a phaser poking out from underneath a pile of papers. Before she could grab it, the alien was upon her.

With a growl, it leapt on her, its hands poised to grab her throat. She dived out of the way and rolled, facing the alien hesitantly. This was the first time she'd had to actually fight someone outside of the gym and fear was bubbling in her stomach. This time she was fighting for her life, but she had to protect Caitlin. If it got past Zia, the blind woman didn't stand a chance. She'd be obliterated.

"Okay big buy," she muttered, moving into an offensive stance, "let's dance."

The alien observed her stance with interest before copying it, a strange light in its eye. This was a warrior, she realised, and warriors were often capable of mimicking fighting techniques from other fighters.

She dealt the first blow with a well-aimed head punch, followed by a quick jab at the body. The alien blocked both blows and flung its arms around in two crushing roundhouse punches. Zia blocked both with the bony parts of her arms, fighting a wince as her bones quaked under the pressure. Before the alien could gather itself for another powerful attack, she lowered her body and tackled it around the middle, forcing it back a few steps, before ducking underneath its fists as it tried to pummel her exposed back.

Narrowing her eyes, she fell back into a defensive stance, watching as the alien again mimicked her.

This time it struck first, continuing with the pounding roundhouse punches. As she blocked the blows, she failed to see the knee move. Her only indication of the attack was a crushing pain in her ribs, resulting in several nasty _crack _sounds. She fell back, holding her ribs, and landed heavily on the ground, her head hitting the hard surface. If this was any other fight, she would be out for the count, but she had to protect Caitlin from this alien. She had to… _had to…_

The welcoming arms of unconsciousness began to surround her and she fought the fogginess, attempting to crawl to her feet but the joint pain in both her torso and head restricted her movement. She hazily registered the alien moving away from her and towards the huddling Caitlin, who whimpered as the heavy footfall approached her. Coughing up blood, she staggered to her feet and stumbled drunkenly towards the alien, groaning softly. It turned upon hearing her approach, tilted its head, and pressed its palm to her head, pushing her back several paces. She fell to her knees and looked up as the alien stood in front of her, its outline slightly blurry.

Then its face seemed to explode and it fell back. It didn't get up.

"Zia!"

Spock appeared in front of her, moving awkwardly. His face swam in her vision and she realised she was lying on the ground. As he touched her arm, she felt his agony join with hers as his pain transferred through the contact. He felt her pain and nearly collapsed under the pressure, but managed to stay upright.

"I'll call the Infirmary." That was Caitlin's voice. It was the last thing Zia heard before her eyes closed.

o.O.o

"Twelve broken ribs, moderate concussion and fractured forearms. Frankly, you're lucky the damage isn't permanent. I'll bet you put up a hell of a fight?"

"I hope I did. That thing could have hurt my friend."

"Well, if Spock hadn't come along when he did…"

"I know."

McCoy smiled warmly at his young Vulcan friend. "You call me if you need anything, okay?"

"Will do. Thanks doctor."

The grumpy doctor left his two most recently admitted patients alone and Spock and Zia relaxed into their beds, knowing they would be stuck in the Infirmary for up to two weeks while their injuries healed. They weren't the only ones that had been attacked by the alien; it had confronted every crewmember it came across – about five before reaching Zia – and proceeded to beat them until they ran.

Spock's hypothesis had been correct. His science team ran scans on the remains of the alien's brain, revealing that its brain chemistry was that of a lower life-form, but several sections were remarkably advanced. It was clearly a case of genetic-engineering to mould the brain into following a single purpose. This creature was a warrior designed for battle and they didn't know how many more were around.

"So," Zia said quietly so she wouldn't move her bandaged ribs, "Kirk's not happy that you killed it."

"He believes we could have gleaned information from the warrior. I disagree. With such diverse brain chemistry, there is little we could have learned."

"It was a threat to our lives. He has to understand that."

"He understands, but he is not required to be pleased with the arrangement."

"He can think what he wants. I'm just glad that we're alive."

"As am I. Upon our recovery, we must change the regulations regarding foreign craft."

"Aye," a now conscious Scotty called from across the room, "we don't wan' another fiasco like tha' do we?"

_No, _Zia thought, _no we don't._


End file.
